MULTI-COMPONENT MODULES (MCMs) INCLUDING CONFIGURABLE ELECTROMAGNETIC ISOLATION (EMI) SHIELD STRUCTURES AND RELATED METHODS

ABSTRACT

Multi-component modules (MCMs), including configurable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield structures and related methods, are disclosed. An EMI shield enclosing an IC or another electrical component in an MCM can protect other components within the MCM from EMI generated by the enclosed component. The EMI shield also protects the enclosed component from the EMI generated by other electrical components. An EMI shield with sidewall structures, in which vertical conductors supported by a wall medium electrically couple a lid of the EMI shield to a ground layer in a substrate, provides configurable EMI protection in an MCM. The EMI shield may also be employed to increase heat dissipation. The sidewall structures of the EMI shield are disposed on one or more sides of an electrical component and are configurable to provide a desired level of EMI isolation.

PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 17/336,512, filed Jun. 2, 2021 and entitled“MULTI-COMPONENT MODULES (MCMs) INCLUDING CONFIGURABLE ELECTRO-MAGNETICISOLATION (EMI) SHIELD STRUCTURES, AND RELATED METHODS,” which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/336,512 claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/045,509, filed Jun. 29, 2020and entitled “MULTI-COMPONENT MODULES (MCMs) INCLUDING CONFIGURABLEELECTRO-MAGNETIC ISOLATION (EMI) SHIELDS IN WHICH SIDE-WALL STRUCTURESINCLUDE VERTICAL CONDUCTORS DISPOSED ON A WALL MEDIUM, AND RELATEDMETHODS,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND I. Field of the Disclosure

The field of the disclosure generally relates to electronic devicepackages, and, more particularly, to packages with electromagneticisolation shield structures.

II. Background

Consumer electronic devices may include several electrical components,such as integrated circuits (ICs) and other electrical devices mountedon a circuit board or substrate. A multi-component module (MCM) is an ICpackage in which multiple electrical components and/or surface mountdevices (SMDs) are mounted on a substrate that includes electricalwiring to interconnect the components. During operation, some electricalcomponents emit electromagnetic radiation that can interrupt the normaloperation of other electrical components nearby. Such electromagneticradiation, known as electromagnetic interference (EMI), is strongest atthe source and exponentially decreases in strength with distance. As aresult of EMI, the electronic components in close proximity to an EMIsource on an MCM can fail to operate correctly. Examples of electronicdevices in which this can be a concern include mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, and other devices that emit radio frequency (RF)transmissions for cellular, WiFi, and/or Bluetooth communication.

Consumer demand for smaller electronic devices forces designers of thesedevices to mount electrical components in very close proximity to eachother on a substrate surface to minimize SMD area, thereby exacerbatingthe impact of EMI. To address this problem, a conductive shell or a cageof conductors (known as a Faraday shield or EMI shield) can be providedin the IC package that encloses an electrical component(s) to reduce orblock electric fields around the electrical component. The EMI shieldcan also protect the electrical component from environmental externalEMI emitted by other components in close proximity and can also protectthose other components from EMI emitted by the electrical componentwithin the EMI shield. In this manner, the negative impacts of EMI inMCMs can be reduced or avoided by including an EMI shield aroundelectrical components or devices.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Aspects disclosed herein include multi-component modules (MCMs)including configurable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shieldstructures. Related methods are also disclosed. In exemplary aspects,the integrated circuit (IC) module is an MCM that includes configurablesidewall structures incorporating vertical conductors for connectivityand EMI protection. The IC module includes an EMI shield enclosing an ICor another electrical component in the IC module to protect othercomponents within the IC module from EMI generated by the enclosedcomponent. In exemplary aspects, the EMI shield includes sidewallstructures, in which vertical conductors supported by a wall mediumelectrically couple a lid of the EMI shield to a ground layer in asubstrate, provides configurable EMI protection in an MCM. The EMIshield may also be employed to increase heat dissipation. The sidewallstructures of the EMI shield are disposed on one or more sides of anelectrical component and are configurable to provide a desired level ofEMI isolation. Methods of manufacturing MCMs including an EMI shield asdiscussed above are also disclosed.

In one aspect, an MCM is disclosed. The MCM includes an electricaldevice mounted on a first surface of a substrate comprising a firstconductive layer and an EMI shield disposed adjacent to the firstsurface of the substrate. The EMI shield includes a lid adjacent to afirst side of the electrical device. The EMI shield further includes awall structure disposed adjacent to a second side of the electricaldevice and extending around the electrical device to form an enclosurecomprising an air space between the first surface of the substrate andthe lid. The wall structure includes a wall medium and a verticalconductor disposed at least one of on and inside the wall medium andconfigured to electrically couple the lid to the first conductive layer.

In another exemplary aspect, an MCM is disclosed. The MCM includes anelectrical device mounted on a first surface of a substrate, thesubstrate comprising a first conductive layer and an EMI shield disposedadjacent to the first surface of the substrate. The EMI shields includesa lid comprising a second conductive layer adjacent to a first side ofthe electrical device and a wall structure disposed adjacent to a secondside of the electrical device. The wall structure includes a wall mediumcomprising a semi-cylindrical surface extending between the firstsurface and the lid and a vertical conductor disposed on thesemi-cylindrical surface between the semi-cylindrical surface and theelectrical device and configured to electrically couple the firstconductive layer to the second conductive layer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a perspective view of surface mount devices(SMDs) mounted on a substrate in a multi-component module (MCM);

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional side view of an MCM in which protectionagainst electromagnetic interference (EMI) between respective SMDs isprovided by wire bonds vertically coupling an EMI shield lid and aground layer in the substrate;

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional side view of the MCM in FIG. 2A in whichlaser engraving penetrates through the EMI shield lid and into a moldingcompound;

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary MCM including anEMI shield with configurable sidewall structures in which verticalconductors are disposed at least one of on and inside a wall medium thatis mounted on a substrate surface to electrically couple an EMI shieldlid to a ground layer;

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of another exemplary MCM includinglaser engraving in a shield lid of the EMI shield to a depth of a laserstop layer;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of configurable sidewall structures of anEMI shield placed adjacent to an electrical component on a surface of asubstrate;

FIG. 4B is a top view of a substrate showing an example of contacts forelectrically coupling the configurable sidewall structures in FIG. 4A toa ground layer in the substrate;

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate stages of forming sidewall structures in anexample of the EMI shield shown in FIG. 4A from a laminate substrate;

FIG. 6 is an illustration of configurable sidewall structures that canbe formed from the laminate substrate as shown in FIGS. 5A-5C forplacement adjacent to SMDs to form an EMI shield in an MCM;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of fabricatingMCMs including an EMI shield in a first example including sidewallstructures as shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A-5C, and 6 ;

FIGS. 8A-8E are cross-sectional side views of an MCM including an EMIshield in stages of fabrication in the method illustrated in FIG. 7 ;

FIGS. 9A-9F illustrate various views of shield structures of EMI shieldsaccording to a second example in which sidewall structures are coupledto a shield carrier that may be a shield lid and FIG. 9G illustrates apackage substrate prepared to have the EMI shields in FIGS. 9A-9Fmounted thereon;

FIGS. 10A-10F illustrate stages of fabrication in an example of formingthe EMI shields shown in FIGS. 9A-9G from a laminate substrate coupledto a shield carrier;

FIGS. 11A-11F are cross-sectional side views during fabrication of anMCM including an EMI shield of the second example in which the shieldcarrier includes a conductive layer according to the method illustratedin FIG. 7 ;

FIGS. 12A-12D illustrate cross-sectional side views of an MCM includingan EMI shield of the second example in a first alternative aspect inwhich the shield carrier includes heat sinks coupled to a removableinsulating substrate;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional side view of a stage of fabrication of anMCM including an EMI shield of the second example in a secondalternative aspect in which the shield carrier includes a half-etchedmetal layer to form heat sinks; and

FIGS. 14A-14G illustrate cross-sectional side views during fabricationof an MCM including an EMI shield of a third example in which the shieldcarrier is non-removable and is included in the shield lid;

FIGS. 15A and 15B are cross-sectional side views of an MCM including anEMI shield of the third example in a first variation in which the shieldcarrier is a multi-layer substrate on which an electronic component maybe mounted;

FIGS. 16A-16G are cross-sectional side views in fabrication stages of anMCM in FIG. 16H including a Land Grid Array (LGA) extender on abottom-side surface of a substrate to electrically couple the substrateto package connections and provide an EMI shield to bottom-side devices;

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of an exemplary processor-based system thatcan include an exemplary MCM including an EMI shield with configurablesidewall structures in which vertical conductors are disposed on a wallmedium that is mounted on a substrate surface to electrically couple anEMI shield lid to a ground layer as shown in FIGS. 8A-8E, 11A-11F,12A-12D, 13, 14A-14G, 15A-15B; and 16H; and

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communicationsdevice that includes radio frequency (RF) components formed from anintegrated circuit (IC), wherein any of the components therein caninclude an exemplary MCM including an EMI shield with configurablesidewall structures in which vertical conductors are disposed on a wallmedium that is mounted on a substrate surface to electrically couple anEMI shield lid to a ground layer as shown in FIGS. 8A-8E, 11A-11F,12A-12D, 13, 14A-14G, 15A-15B; and 16H.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference now to the drawing figures, several exemplary aspects ofthe present disclosure are described. The word “exemplary” is usedherein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Anyaspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to beconstrued as preferred or advantageous over other aspects.

Aspects disclosed herein include multi-component modules (MCMs)including configurable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shieldstructures. Related methods are also disclosed. In exemplary aspects,the integrated circuit (IC) module is an MCM that includes configurablesidewall structures incorporating vertical conductors for connectivityand EMI protection. The IC module includes an EMI shield enclosing an ICor another electrical component in the IC module to protect othercomponents within the IC module from EMI generated by the enclosedcomponent. In exemplary aspects, EMI shield includes sidewallstructures, in which vertical conductors supported by a wall mediumelectrically couple a lid of the EMI shield to a ground layer in asubstrate, provides configurable EMI protection in an MCM. The EMIshield may also be employed to increase heat dissipation. The sidewallstructures of the EMI shield are disposed on one or more sides of anelectrical component and are configurable to provide a desired level ofEMI isolation. Methods of manufacturing MCMs including an EMI shield asdiscussed above are also disclosed.

An MCM is a form of packaging ICs and components in many consumerelectronics devices, such as smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc. An MCMincludes various electrical components or devices mounted on the surfaceof a substrate. Accordingly, the electrical components are generallyknown as surface mount devices (SMDs), which is a term that may be usedherein for any electrical or electronic component or device, passive oractive, including ICs, capacitors, inductors, memory chips, etc. thatmay be mounted on or coupled to a substrate in an MCM. The term “MCM”refers to a package and may be used interchangeably with the term “ICpackage” herein. In this regard, the terms “MCM” and “IC package” mayrefer to any package that includes one or more SMDs, any number of which(including zero) may be ICs. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of SMDs 100mounted on a substrate 102 to illustrate the SMDs 100 in close proximityto each other in an MCM 104.

SMDs may generate electromagnetic radiation during their normaloperation. The electromagnetic radiation may be generated at radiofrequencies in mobile devices that perform cellular, WiFi, and/orBluetooth telecommunications, for example. Electromagnetic radiation canbe a varying electric field that interferes with the operation ofelectrical circuits in other SMDs, causing electromagnetic induction,coupling, or conduction, which is referred to as EMI. One device thateffectively reduces the EMI emitted by an SMD and also protects an SMDfrom externally generated EMI is an enclosure known as a Faraday cage orFaraday shield, referred to herein as an EMI shield. The EMI shield isan enclosure formed of conductive material such as conductive metalsheets or wires, such as a box or cage. An externally generated electricfield is canceled within the EMI shield because electric charges withinthe conductors of the EMI shield are distributed to cancel the effectsof the electric field inside the EMI shield. EMI cages shield theinterior from external electromagnetic radiation if the conductor issufficiently thick and any holes or gaps between conductors aresignificantly smaller than the wavelength of the radiation.

An EMI shield may be included in the fabrication of an MCM to provideprotection from EMI among SMDs in close proximity to each other. Across-sectional side view of one example of an MCM 200 including an EMIshield 202 is illustrated in FIG. 2A. The MCM 200 includes a multi-layeror laminate substrate 204 on which SMDs 206 are mounted. A shield lid208 above the SMDs 206 and a ground layer 210 below the SMDs 206 in thesubstrate 204 form a top and bottom of the EMI shield 202 enclosure. Therelative and directional terms “top,” “bottom,” “up,” “down,” “above,”and “below,” for example, as used to describe the illustration in FIG.2A and other figures herein, may be based on an orientation of theillustration and are not intended to be limiting unless otherwisestated. It is recognized that the meanings of relative terms may changeamong different orientations.

The shield lid 208 is a conductive layer 212 extending across thesubstrate 204 and down the external side surfaces 214 of the MCM 200.The shield lid 208 couples to the ground layer 210 to form an enclosurearound the entire MCM 200. Vertical conductors are provided by wirebonds 216 to create internal cages within the MCM 200 during MCMfabrication according to known methods. The wire bonds 216 connect to agold-plated contact 218 on the substrate 204, which increases a cost ofthe MCM 200 as a number of the wire bonds 216 increases. “Keep out”zones around the gold-plated contacts 218 impose minimum distancerestrictions between the gold-plated zones and other contacts. There arealso minimum spacing requirements between the wire bonds 216 and theSMDs 206 of the MCM 200. As a result of these limitations and therelatively thin diameter of the wires, wire bonds 216 provide limitedEMI protection within the MCM 200 at a high fabrication cost.

FIG. 2B is the MCM 200 in FIG. 2A with the addition of laser marks 220in the shield lid 208 for identification of the MCM 200. In FIGS. 2A and2B, the shield lid 208 is formed by sputtering a metal 222 onto aplanarized top surface 224 of a molding compound 226 and also onto theside surfaces 214. The laser marks 220 cut into the molding compound 226by a laser (not shown) can easily penetrate through the metal 222 andinto the molding compound 226. As a result, a conformal coating 228deposited into the cut laser marks 220 may extend below the top surface224, which can induce a capacitive coupling to the SMD 206 beneath thelaser marks 220.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary MCM 300 includingan EMI shield 302 including sidewall structures 304 in which verticalconductors (not shown) are disposed on a wall medium 306 mounted on asubstrate 308. The vertical conductors electrically couple a shield lid310 of the EMI shield 302 to a ground layer 312 in the substrate 308.The EMI shield 302 is disposed adjacent to the substrate 308 andproximate to the SMDs 314. Thus, the shield lid 310, the ground layer312, and the vertical conductors in the sidewall structures 304 form anenclosure (i.e., Faraday cage) to provide EMI protection for SMDs 314.The sidewall structures 304 are not connected to the ground layer 312 bya gold-plated contact, which keeps fabrication cost of the MCM 300 lowercompared to the MCM 200 using wire bonds 216 in FIG. 2A. The sidewallstructures 304 may be placed (e.g., by a pick-and-place tool) on asolder or conductive paste 316 in a manner that may be similar toconnecting the SMDs 314 to the substrate 308. In this regard, thesidewall structures 304 do not require the use of a wire-bond tool andare not subject to the minimum distance restrictions imposed on the wirebonds 216 in FIG. 2A. The locations of the sidewall structures 304 maybe limited only by the accuracy of component placement methods. After amolding compound 318 is disposed on a surface of the substrate 308, themolding compound 318 and the sidewall structures 304 are planarized(e.g., parallel to the surface of the substrate) before the shield lid310 is formed.

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional side view of an MCM 320 including an EMIshield 322 formed of a shield lid 324, a ground layer 326, and sidewallstructures 328. In this example, the sidewall structure 328 extends downfrom a shield carrier 330 that includes a laser stop layer 332. Theshield lid 324 is formed of the laser stop layer 332, the shield carrier330, and a conductive layer 334 formed over the MCM 320. The MCM 320includes SMDs 336A, 336B, and 336C individually enclosed by the EMIshield 322. The shield lid 324 is adjacent (e.g., in the Z-axisdirection) to a first side of the SMDs 336A-336C. In the MCM 320,although a molding compound 338 is disposed on the SMDs 336A and 336C,the SMD 336B benefits from an air space 340 and a thermal paste 342thermally coupling the SMD 336B to the shield lid 324. The thermal paste342 could be replaced by a solid thermal conductor or other thermallyconductive material other than air and a molding compound 338. In thiscontext, material(s) referred to herein as “other than air” may be gasesother than natural atmosphere, liquids, or solids used for purposes ofthermal conduction. Such materials may also be used for electrical ormagnetic isolation, adhesion, etc.

Due to the need for the air space 340, the shield lid 324 cannot bedisposed on a planarized surface of the molding compound 338. Instead,the sidewall structures 328 are formed from a wall medium 346 coupled tothe shield carrier 330. As explained below, after the SMDs 336A-336C areplaced on a substrate 344, and the thermal paste 342 is disposed on theSMD 336B, the EMI shield 322, including the shield carrier 330, thelaser stop layer 332, and the sidewall structures 328 are transferredtogether as a single structure and placed on the substrate 344 such thatthe wall structures 328 are disposed around the SMD 336B. In someexamples, the wall structures 328 are disposed adjacent to at least asecond side of the SMDs 336A-336C. The molding compound 338 is disposedon the SMDs 336A and 336C by any known means including compressionmolding or transfer molding and allowed to enter the EMI shield 322 byone or both of openings in the shield carrier 330 and openings in thesidewall structures 328. However, the sidewall structures 328 along aperimeter around and adjacent to sides of the SMD 336B are continuouspanels without any openings that would allow the molding compound 338 toenter the air space 340. In this manner, the sidewall structures 328 areconfigurable to allow or prevent entry of molding compound into an EMIenclosure formed by the EMI shield 322.

The MCM 320 also includes laser marks 348, which are cut into theconductive layer 334 and the shield carrier 330. However, the laser stoplayer 332 has a much slower rate of laser penetration than either theconductive layer 334 or the shield carrier 330, which improves controlof the depth of the laser marks 348 and prevents the laser marks 348from penetrating closer to the SMD 336A and possibly creating unwantedcapacitive coupling as may occur in the MCM 200 in FIG. 2B.

The sidewall structures 304 as shown in FIG. 3A may also be referred toherein as shield structures 304 because they are structures forming partof the EMI shield 302. The sidewall structures 304 are described in moredetail with regard to FIG. 4A. FIG. 4A is a perspective view ofconfigurable sidewall structures 400 corresponding to the sidewallstructures 304 in FIG. 3A. The sidewall structures 400 may be employedto form the vertical conductors of an EMI shield electrically coupling ashield lid (not shown) and a ground layer (not shown) to enclose an SMD402. FIG. 4A shows an example in which the sidewall structures 400 areplaced around the SMD 402 on a surface 404 of a substrate 406. Thesurface 404 may also be referred to herein as a top surface 404 becauseit is a primary surface of the substrate 406 on which SMDs 402 aremounted. However, though not shown here, SMDs 402 may also be mounted onat least one other surface of the substrate 406. The sidewall structures400 may be placed by, for example, a pick-and-place tool that may be thesame tool used to place the SMD 402 on the substrate 406. A placementand a shape of the sidewall structures 400 are not limited to theconfiguration shown in FIG. 4A. The sidewall structures 400 includevertical conductors 408 shown here as conductive layers 410 onsemi-cylindrical surfaces 412 of a wall medium 414. The verticallyoriented semi-cylindrical shapes of the sidewall structures 400illustrated in FIG. 4A are explained further below with reference toFIG. 5 . The sidewall structures 400 in FIG. 4A also include multiplelayers 416 of the wall medium 414 separated by horizontal conductors418. A thickness 416T of the layers 416 determines a vertical distancebetween the horizontal conductors 418. The frequencies of EMI blocked byan EMI shield depend on distances between conductive elements. Thus, thefrequency range of EMI protection provided by an EMI shield formed withthe sidewall structures 400 can be frequency-adjusted based onplacements of the sidewall structures 400 relative to each other,physical characteristics and locations of the vertical conductors 408formed on the sidewall structures 400, and the thicknesses of the layers416 (e.g., the distance between horizontal conductors 418).

FIG. 4B is a top view of the substrate 406 on which contacts 420 havebeen formed around a location 422 of the SMD 402. The contacts 420 shownin FIG. 4B are semi-circular to correspond to the semi-cylindricalshapes of the sidewall structures 400 in FIG. 4A. The contacts 420 areprovided to electrically couple the vertical conductors 408 to thesubstrate 406. Though the contacts 420 in FIG. 4B are shaped tocorrespond to the shapes of the sidewall structures 400, the contacts420 are not limited in this regard and may be any shape capable ofadequately electrically coupling the vertical conductors 408 to thesubstrate 406.

FIG. 5A illustrates one example of a stage of fabricating the sidewallstructures 400 in FIG. 4A from a laminate 500. The laminate 500 includesa substrate 502 of insulating material (e.g., FR4 material) commonlyused in printed circuit boards (PCBs) laminated with copper layers 504Tand 504B on the top and bottom surfaces of the substrate 502,respectively. The substrate 502 corresponds to the wall medium 306 inFIG. 3A and the wall medium 346 in FIG. 3B. FIG. 5A is a side view in aY-axis direction showing a cross-section in an X-axis direction and aZ-axis direction.

In FIG. 5B, vertical conductors 506 are formed on side surfaces 508 ofholes 510 formed through the substrate 502 and the copper layers 504Tand 504B. The holes 510 have a longitudinal axis A extending in theZ-axis direction of the substrate 502. The holes 510 may be formed bydrilling, boring, punching, etc. or any other means known in the art.The holes 510 could also be formed by different means such that theholes 510 are not round and the vertical conductors 506 formed thereinare not cylindrical. The present disclosure is not limited tocylindrical or semi-cylindrical vertical conductors. The verticalconductors 506 may be formed on the side surfaces 508 in the wallstructure by vapor deposition or other means known in the art to form ahollow cylindrical vertical conductor 506 having a thickness 506T. Theholes 510 may also be filled with a conductive material (not shown) toform solid cylindrical vertical conductors 506. The vertical conductors506 are electrically coupled to the copper layers 504T and 504B.

FIG. 5C is a top view of the sidewall structures 400 that have beensingulated from the laminate 500 and shows the shapes of the individualsidewall structures 400 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axisdirection. The top view in FIG. 5C shows the copper layer 504T isdisposed on top of the substrate 502 and also shows an end view of anend portion of the vertical conductors 506 having the thickness 506T. Inthe example in FIG. 5C, the laminate 500 is cut in the X-axis directionthrough the centers of the holes 510, but the sidewall structures arenot limited in this regard, as shown in FIG. 6 .

FIG. 6 is an illustration of perspective views of examples of sidewallstructures 600 that can be formed from the laminate 500 in FIG. 5A. Thesidewall structures 600 may have various configurations different thanthe sidewall structures 400 in FIGS. 4A and 5C. The configurability ofthe sidewall structures 600 provides greater configurability in the EMIprotection provided by the EMI shields 302 and 322 in FIGS. 3A and 3B.Characteristics such as the thickness 506T of the vertical conductors506 and horizontal conductors 602, separation of the vertical conductors506 in the X-axis direction and/or the Y-axis direction, and separationof the horizontal conductors 602 in the Z-axis direction may all beindividually adjusted as needed. In addition, the sidewall structures600 can provide vertical conductors 506 on a front side 604F and a backside 604B in any relative alignment for increased EMI protection. Asshown, the sidewall structures 600 can be formed from the laminate 500in FIG. 5A by shaping in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.In addition, the sidewall structures 600 may include multiple laminates500 that are stacked vertically to provide a sidewall structure 600having greater height and/or for the purpose of including horizontalconductors having a preferred distance D between them for EMI protectioncorresponding to a frequency range. The vertical conductors 506 extendin the Z-axis direction such that an end portion of the verticalconductors 506 electrically couple to the copper layer 504B on thebottom of the sidewall structures 600 which may couple to a ground layerin a substrate (not shown). The vertical conductors also extend to a topsurface of the sidewall structures 600 such that a second end portion ofthe vertical conductors 506 are electrically coupled to a shield lid(not shown). It is to be understood that the sidewall structures 600 inFIG. 6 are non-limiting examples.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method 700 of fabricating an MCM802. The method 700 is described with reference to the fabricationstages 800A-800E illustrated in FIGS. 8A-8E. The MCM 802 includes an EMIshield 804 including sidewall structures 806 including configurablevertical conductors (not shown) disposed on wall mediums 808 toelectrically couple a ground layer 810 in a substrate 812 and a shieldlid 814, which includes a conductive layer 816. Fabrication stage 800Ain FIG. 8A illustrates the substrate 812 including the ground layer 810.In the fabrication stage 800B in FIG. 8B, electrical device 818 ismounted on a top surface 820 of the substrate 812 including the groundlayer 810. The top surface 820 is referred to as the top surface in MCM802 because of the illustrated orientation of the substrate 812 but alsobecause the electrical devices (SMDs) 818 are primarily mounted on thetop surface 820. In other words, the majority of SMDs 818 in the MCM 802are mounted on the top surface 820. The electrical device 818 and otherelectrical devices 818 (or SMDs 818) are also mounted on the top surface820 of the substrate 812 in fabrication stage 800B. The fabricationstage 800B also includes forming the sidewall structure 806 (shieldstructure 806) of the EMI shield 804. As shown in the fabrication stage800B in FIG. 8B, the method 700 includes disposing the sidewallstructure 806 above the top surface 820 of the substrate 812 and on aside of the electrical device 818, the sidewall structure 806 includinga wall medium 808 and a vertical conductor disposed on the wall medium808, a bottom end portion of the vertical conductor configured toelectrically couple to the ground layer 810 in the substrate 812 (block702). The fabrication stage 800B in FIG. 8B also shows the sidewallstructures 806 that have been formed and disposed above the top surface820 of the substrate 812. The method 700 further includes disposing amolding compound 822 on the top surface 820 of the substrate 812 (block704). Fabrication stage 800C in FIG. 8C illustrates the molding compound822 disposed on the top surface 820 of the substrate 812 to a height H₂that, for example, may be greater than a height of the sidewallstructure 806. The method 700 includes an optional step of reducing theheight H₂ of the molding compound 822 to form a top surface 824including a top surface 826 of the sidewall structure 806 (block 706).Fabrication stage 800D in FIG. 8D illustrates the reduced height H₂ ofthe molding compound 822 forming the top surface 824 including the topsurface 826 of the sidewall structure 806. The method 700 furtherincludes disposing the conductive layer 816 on the top surface 824 ofthe MCM 802. The conductive layer 816 is electrically coupled to a topend portion (not shown) of the vertical conductor to form at least aportion of the shield lid 814 of the EMI shield 804 (block 708).Fabrication stage 800E in FIG. 8E illustrates the shield lid 814 formedby the conductive layer 816 disposed over the top surface 824 includingthe molding compound 822 and the top surface 826 of the sidewallstructure 806. Fabrication stage 800E also illustrates that theconductive layer 816 is disposed on sides 828 of the MCM 802. In otherwords, the EMI shield 804 is disposed adjacent to the top surface 820 ofthe substrate 812 and proximate to the electrical devices 818. Theshield lid 814 is adjacent to (e.g., in the Z-axis direction) a firstside (e.g., a top side) of the electrical devices 818 and parallel tothe top surface 820 of the substrate 812. The sidewall structure 806 isdisposed adjacent to (e.g., in at least one of the X-axis direction andthe Y-axis direction) at least a second side of the electrical devices818 and extends in a direction orthogonal to (e.g., in the Z-axisdirection) the top surface 820 of the substrate 812 between the topsurface 820 and the shield lid 814.

FIGS. 9A-9F illustrate various views 900A-900F of a second example ofshield structures 901 in which one or more sidewall structure 902 arecoupled to a shield carrier 904. The sidewall structures 902 are formedwith relative positioning on the shield carrier 904 that is appropriateto coincide with SMDs 922 mounted on a substrate 920 in FIG. 9G, and canbe disposed in a single action onto the surface of the substrate 920 byplacement of the shield structure 901. In this manner, a number of stepsof fabricating an EMI shield on an MCM are reduced. View 900A is aperspective view from a top side 906 of the shield carrier 904 includingwindows 908A and 908B in an example in which taller SMDs (not shown) mayextend through the shield carrier 904. The shield carrier 904 alsoincludes openings 910 to allow a molding compound to be disposed on anSMD beneath the shield carrier 904. The openings 910 may be sized toavoid transmission of electromagnetic radiation in a frequency range.The shield carrier 904 in view 900A may be a thin conductive (e.g.,metal) plate or layer. The shield carrier 904 together with one or moreof the sidewall structures 902 coupled to the bottom side thereof form ashield structure 901. Thus, disposing the shield structure 901 includesdisposing the sidewall structure 902 coupled to the shield carrier 904.

In FIG. 9B, view 900B of the shield structure 901 is a side view showingthe sidewall structure 902 coupled to a bottom surface 912 of a thinplate or layer serving as the shield carrier 904. The sidewall structure902 includes an opening 910 through which molding compound may bedisposed around an SMD in a transfer molding process. View 900C in FIG.9C is a perspective view of a shield carrier 904 that does not includeopenings 910 or windows 908A and 908B. The shield carrier 904 in FIG. 9Cis transparent to more clearly show the sidewall structures 902 coupledor attached to the bottom surface 912. Details of attaching of thesidewall structures 902 to the shield carrier 904 are provided withreference to FIG. 10 .

View 900D in FIG. 9D is a bottom view of the bottom surface 912 of theshield carrier 904 and the bottom surfaces of a plurality of thesidewall structures 902 coupled to the bottom surface 912 of the shieldcarrier 904. The plurality of sidewall structures are positioned to formenclosures 914 around SMDs (electrical devices) on a substrate 920 (FIG.9G). View 900E in FIG. 9E is a side view of the shield structure 901 inview 900E. View 900E also illustrates an optional thicker shield carrier904 that may be formed of a thicker conductive layer, an insulatingmaterial, or a laminate of conducting and non-conducting layers. Athicker shield carrier 904 may be used for increased structural rigidityover a thinner plate, for example. View 900F in FIG. 9F is a perspectiveview of the bottom surface 912 of the thicker shield carrier 904 in view900E showing the enclosure 914 formed by the plurality of sidewallstructures 902.

FIG. 9G is a perspective view of an MCM 916 similar to the MCM 104 inFIG. 1 , but FIG. 9G includes landing pads or contacts 918 formed of aconductive surface on which solder, conductive paste, or anothersubstance is deposited for physically and electrically coupling thesidewall structures 902 to the substrate 920. The sidewall structures ofviews 900A-900F are formed to minor the contacts 918, to align with thecontacts 918 and provide EMI protection for the SMDs 922.

FIGS. 10A-10F includes illustrations 1000A-1000F showing details offabricating the shield structure 901, including the sidewall structures902 coupled to the shield carrier 904 in FIGS. 9A-9F. Illustration 1000Ain FIG. 10A shows a view of a laminate 1001 typically employed in themanufacture of PCBs. Though not shown here, the laminate 1001 isinitially provided with an insulating substrate 1002 clad betweenconductive layers 1004F and 1004B fully covering front and back sides1006F and 1006B, respectively, of the insulating substrate 1002. Theconductive layers 1004F and 1004B may be copper layers, for example. Inillustration 1000A, the insulating substrate 1002 is an unshaped wallmedium from which sidewall structures 902 will be formed in asubtractive process. The insulating substrate 1002 is shown here asbeing transparent to simplify an understanding of other features. Asnoted above, the sidewall structures 902 of the shield structure 901 inFIGS. 9A-9F are formed from the laminate 1001 to coincide with SMDsmounted on a particular substrate. In areas where sidewall structures902 are to be provided, holes 1008 are formed through the conductivelayer 1004F, the substrate 1002, and the conductive layer 1004B and theholes 1008 are plated or filled with a conductive material to form ahollow or solid cylindrical vertical conductor 1010. In this regard, thevertical conductors 1010 include at least a portion of a sidewall of ahole 1008 extending through a thickness (e.g., in the Z-axis direction)of the insulating substrate 1002. The plated or filled conductivematerial of the vertical conductors 1010 is electrically coupled to theconductive layers 1004F and 1004B. The holes 1008 need not be round andthe vertical conductors 1010 are not limited to being cylindrical. Theconductive layers 1004F and 1004B are etched or otherwise patterned tohave a desired footprint for the sidewall structures 902 to minor alayout of SMDs on a substrate. An opaque view of the laminate 1001 inillustration 1000A is shown in illustration 1000B in FIG. 10B.

In FIG. 10C, illustration 1000C is a view of a plate 1012 that forms theshield carrier 904 in FIGS. 9A-9F having an area corresponding to thelaminate 1001. As described further below, the shield carrier 904 maytake many different forms and is not limited to the plate 1012. Forexample, as shown in view 900A of FIG. 9A, the shield carrier 904 mayinclude openings 910 to allow molding compound to be disposed on thesurface of a substrate. In illustration 1000D of FIG. 10D, a solder,adhesive, or other substance is formed in a pattern 1014 on the shieldcarrier 904 to mirror the patterned conductive layer 1004B on the backside 1006B of the laminate 1001 in illustration 1000D to adhere orcouple the conductive layer 1004B to the insulating substrate 1002 inthose areas. The back side 1006B of the laminate 1001 may form the topsurface of the sidewall structures 902 when the shield structure 901 isdisposed on a substrate. In FIG. 10E, illustration 1000E shows thelaminate 1001 coupled to the plate 1012. At this stage, the conductivelayers 1004B and 1004F have been shaped to correspond to an EMI shieldfor a particular substrate, and the vertical conductors 1010 have beenformed through the insulating substrate 1002. As shown in illustration1000F in FIG. 10F, the insulating substrate 1002 is further shaped intothe sidewall structures 902 by decoupling and removing, from the shieldcarrier 904, portions of the insulating substrate 1002 on which thebottom conductive layer 1004B is not disposed. In other words, thesidewall structures 902 are formed from the insulating substrate 1002 byremoving any portion of the insulating substrate 1002 that is notbetween the patterned conductive layers 1004F and 1004B. The resultingstructure in illustration 1000F corresponds to the shield structure 901including the sidewall structures 902 and the shield carrier 904 inFIGS. 9A-9F. Employing the shield carrier 904 as a structural support,the arrangement of sidewall structures 902 may be disposed on thesurface of a substrate, as shown in FIGS. 11A-11F.

FIGS. 11A-11F illustrate a sequence of cross-sectional side views instages 1100A-1100F of fabrication of an MCM 1101 including an EMI shield1102 employing the shield structure 901 of FIGS. 9A-9F and 10A-10F.Stage 1100A in FIG. 11A shows a substrate 1104 on which SMDs 1106 willbe mounted for interconnection. The substrate 1104 in stage 1100Aincludes a solder 1108, conductive paste, or other known electricallyconductive adhesive material to provide a physical attachment of theSMDs 1106 and a shield structure 1110 to a top surface 1112 of thesubstrate 1104 and also provide electrical coupling to contacts 1114 onthe top surface 1112. Stage 1100B in FIG. 11B shows the SMDs 1106mounted on the contacts 1114 on the substrate 1104.

Stage 1100C of FIG. 11C shows the shield structure 1110, including ashield carrier 1116 and sidewall structures 1118 disposed on the topsurface 1112 of the substrate 1104. The sidewall structures 1118 on theshield carrier 1116 are collectively disposed (e.g., in unison) on sidesof the SMDs 1106 by placement of the shield structure 1110. Bottom endportions 1120B of vertical conductors (not shown) within the sidewallstructures 1118 are electrically coupled to contacts 1114 coupled to aground layer 1122 in the substrate 1104. Stage 1100D in FIG. 11D shows amolding compound 1124 disposed on the SMDs 1106 under the shield carrier1116. The molding compound 1124 may be disposed by any known method suchas compression molding in which the molding compound 1124 is forcedthrough openings (not shown here) in the shield carrier 1116 or bytransfer molding in which the molding compound 1124 is forced throughopenings in the sidewall structures 1118.

In the example in FIGS. 11A-11F, the shield carrier 1116 is a structureon which the sidewall structures 1118 are formed and is employed totransport the sidewall structures 1118 to be disposed on the top surface1112 of the substrate 1104. The shield carrier 1116 is also employed tocontain the molding compound 1124 and/or limit the distribution of themolding compound 1124 to less than all of the SMDs 1106. In this regard,the shield carrier 1116 may be formed of any material that serves thesepurposes. In this example, the shield carrier 1116 is not included inthe EMI shield 1102 and is removed. Stage 1100E in FIG. 11E shows theMCM 1101 after the shield carrier 1116 is removed, exposing a topsurface 1126 of the MCM 1101 including the sidewall structures 1118 andthe molding compound 1124. Although not shown here, top end portions1120T of the vertical conductors within the sidewall structures 1118 arealso exposed. The top surface 1126 of the MCM 1101 may be sanded,ground, or otherwise processed to be planar, as needed. In stage 1100Fof FIG. 11F, a conductive layer 1128 is disposed on the top surface 1126of the MCM 1101, and the conductive layer 1128 is electrically coupledto the top end portions 1120T of the vertical conductors to form ashield lid 1130 of the EMI shield 1102.

FIGS. 12A-12D are another sequence of cross-sectional views of stages1200A-1200D of fabricating another example of an MCM 1201 including anEMI shield 1202 including sidewall structures 1204 as disclosed above.In stage 1200A in FIG. 12A, SMDs 1206 mounted on a substrate 1208 maygenerate a significant amount of heat that must be dissipated from theMCM 1201. To address this problem, a shield structure 1210 mounted on atop surface 1212 of the substrate 1208 includes heat sinks 1214A and1214B disposed over two of the SMDs 1206. In this example, the heatsinks 1214A and 1214B are intended to remain as part of the EMI shield1202 but the shield carrier 1216 is removable. Therefore, in thisexample, the shield carrier 1216 may be formed of an insulating material1218. To provide thermal conduction from the SMD 1206 to the heat sink1214B, the MCM 1201 also includes a thermal material 1220 (e.g.,thermally conductive metal, such as copper) disposed on the SMD 1206before the shield structure 1210 is disposed on the top surface 1212.The thermal material 1220 is in contact with both the SMD 1206 and theheat sink 1214B.

Stage 1200B in FIG. 12B illustrates the deposition of a molding compound1222 on the top surface 1212 and under the shield carrier 1216. Asdiscussed previously, the molding compound 1222 may be disposed by anyknown methods. Stage 1200C in FIG. 12C shows the MCM 1201 after theremovable shield carrier 1216 has been removed, leaving the heat sinks1214A and 1214B embedded in the molding compound 1222 and included in atop surface 1224 of the MCM 1201. As discussed above, the top surface1224 may be processed or planarized. Stage 1200D in FIG. 12D shows aconductive layer 1226 has been deposited on the top surface 1224 and onsides 1228 of the MCM 1201 to form a shield lid 1230 of the EMI shield1202. In one example, the conductive layer 1226 may be a combination ofmetals (not shown here) including a seed layer of stainless steel, alayer of highly conductive copper, and a top layer of stainless steel toprovide a passivated exterior surface. These layers may be applied bysputtering or other known means. Other metals used in differentcombinations can also be used to form the conductive layer 1226 thatforms the shield lid 1230.

FIG. 13 is an illustration of an alternative shield structure 1300 tothe shield structure 1210 in FIGS. 12A-12D. This example includes heatsinks 1302A and 1302B corresponding to heat sinks 1214A and 1214B inFIGS. 12A-12D. However, in this example, the shield carrier 1304 is notan insulating material 1218 to which the heat sinks 1302A and 1302B areattached. Here, the shield carrier 1304 and the heat sinks 1302A and1302B are formed from a metal slab, layer, or plate 1306 that ispartially etched to be thinned in regions in which no heat sink isdesired and allowed to remain thicker in the regions of the heat sinks1302A and 1302B. FIG. 13 shows the shield structure 1300 mounted on atop surface 1308 of a substrate 1310, which is similar to stage 1200A inFIG. 12A. Fabrication continues as shown in FIGS. 12A-12D except thatthe shield carrier 1304 to be removed is formed of a layer of the metalplate 1306. Removing the shield carrier 1304 by grinding, etching,sanding, or other known methods leaves the heat sinks 1302A and 1302Bembedded in a molding compound (not shown).

FIGS. 14A-14G are a sequence of cross-sectional views of stages1400A-1400G of fabrication in another example of an MCM 1401 includingan EMI shield 1402 formed from a shield structure 1404. The shieldstructure 1404 includes sidewall structures 1406 and a shield carrier1408. Stage 1400A in FIG. 14A illustrates a substrate 1410 having a topsurface 1412 on which SMDs 1414 will be mounted, which is shown in stage1400B in FIG. 14B. In stage 1400C of FIG. 14C a thermal material 1416has been applied to an SMD 1414. In FIG. 14D, stage 1400D shows theshield structure 1404 is disposed on the top surface 1412 of thesubstrate 1410. In this example, the shield carrier 1408 includes astructural layer 1418, such as copper, for example, and a laser stoplayer 1420. The structural layer 1418 may be highly conductive, such asmetal, and may remain on the MCM 1401 as part of a shield lid 1422 ofthe EMI shield 1402. During or after fabrication of the sidewallstructures 1406 on the shield carrier 1408, the laser stop layer 1420,which may be nickel (Ni), tungsten (W), or titanium (Ti), for example,is applied to the structural layer 1418. The laser stop layer 1420 maybe a conductive material, such as a metal, to serve as part of theshield lid 1422, and also provides thermal conduction of heat from theSMD 1414 through the thermal material 1416 and to the structural layer1418 of the shield carrier 1408.

Stage 1400E in FIG. 14E shows a molding compound 1424 disposed on two ofthe SMDs 1414, but not on the SMD 1414 on which the thermal material1416 is disposed. As discussed above, if there are no openings in theshield carrier 1408 or the sidewall structures 1406 enclosing aparticular SMD 1414, the molding compound 1424 is prevented from beingdisposed on the SMD 1414. In this example, the thermal material 1416 inan air space 1426 may provide better thermal dissipation of heatgenerated in the SMD 1414 than would occur if the molding compound 1424was also disposed on the SMD 1414. The air space 1426 may be provided toaccommodate MEMs devices that have moving parts or for any devices whoseoperation, including piezoelectric vibrations, would be impeded by themolding compound 1424.

Stage 1400F in FIG. 14F shows that the structural layer 1418 of theshield carrier 1408 has been thinned (e.g., by sanding, grinding, orchemical processing). This may be done to reduce a vertical heightprofile of the MCM 1401, for example. Stage 1400(g) in FIG. 14 showsthat a conductive layer 1428 has been disposed on a top surface 1430 andside surfaces 1432 of the MCM 1401. The conductive layer 1428, thestructural layer 1418, and the laser stop layer 1420 are all included inthe shield lid 1422 of the EMI shield 1402. The conductive layer 1428 onthe side surfaces 1432 may be employed as a vertical conductor for EMIprotection on the side surfaces 1432. Stage 1400G in FIG. 14G also showsthat laser marks 1434 have been cut or engraved into the top surface1430 of the MCM 1401. In particular, portions of the conductive layer1428 and the structural layer 1418 have been removed, but the materialof the laser stop layer 1420 takes longer to remove under a laser, whichhelps to prevent penetration of the laser marks 1434 into the MCM 1401beneath the laser stop layer 1420. In this manner, unintended capacitivecoupling to the SMD 1414 below the laser marks 1434 is avoided.

FIGS. 15A and 15B are cross-sectional views 1500A and 1500B of anotherexample of an MCM 1501 including an EMI shield 1502 fabricated using ashield structure 1504 that includes sidewall structures 1506 and ashield carrier 1508. In this example, the shield carrier 1508 is formedof a substrate 1510, which may be similar to a substrate 1512 on whichSMDs 1514 are mounted. In this regard, the substrate 1510 may alsoinclude an SMD 1516. In this example, the sidewall structures 1506 maybe formed on the substrate 1510 as described above and after removal ofthe unused portions of the wall medium from the substrate 1510 the SMD1516 may be mounted thereon and the shield structure 1504 can be mountedas shown on the substrate 1510. Conductive layers 1518 in the substrate1510 are at least a portion of a shield lid 1520 of the EMI shield 1502.View 1500B shows the MCM 1501 including a molding compound 1522 and aconductive layer 1524 disposed on a top surface 1526 and side surfaces1528. Thus, this example, the shield lid 1520 includes the shieldcarrier 1508 and the conductive layers 1518 and the SMD 1516 is disposedon a surface of the shield lid 1520 and surrounded by the moldingcompound 1522. FIGS. 15A and 15B also show vertical conductors 1530,which may be inductors and/or conductive routing traces 1530, formedwithin the sidewall structures 1506 electrically separated from thevertical conductors forming the EMI shield 1502. Thus, the verticalconductors 1530 of FIG. 15A and the vertical conductors 1010 of FIG. 10Aare examples of vertical conductors that are disposed at least one of onand inside of a sidewall structure 1506. In other words, the verticalconductors may be disposed on the sidewall structure 1506, inside thesidewall structure 1506, or both on and inside the sidewall structure1506. The vertical conductors 1530 may be employed in the electricalcircuits of the MCM 1501. Including the vertical conductors 1530 insidethe sidewall structures 1506 saves space on the surfaces of thesubstrates 1510 and 1512.

FIGS. 16A-16H illustrate cross-sectional side views at fabricationstages 1600A-1600H for making an MCM 1600 as shown in FIG. 16H thatincludes wall structures 1602 disposed on a bottom side 1604 of asubstrate 1606 to form land-grid array (LGA) pad extenders 1608 thatalso provide EMI shielding for an SMD 1610 disposed on the bottom side1604. The substrate 1606 in FIG. 16A may correspond to the substrate1512 in FIG. 15A. The MCM 1600 includes a plurality of SMDs 1612disposed on a top surface 1614 (e.g., a first side surface) of thesubstrate 1606. The MCM 1600 in the fabrication stage 1600A correspondsto the MCM 1501 in the cross-sectional view 15A, for example, but theLGA extenders 1608 may be formed on a bottom side (e.g., opposite to theprimary side on which SMDs are disposed) of any example of an MCMfabricated by any process or method described or illustrated herein.

The cross-sectional side view of fabrication stage 1600B in FIG. 16Bshows solder paste 1616 disposed in locations on the bottom side 1604 ofthe substrate 1606. The bottom side 1604 of the substrate 1606 includescontacts 1618 that may be LGA pads for connecting the MCM 1600 in apackage or device, for example. The solder paste 1616 may also bereferred to as solder bumps 1616. The locations of the solder paste 1616may correspond to the contacts 1618 on the bottom side 1604. The solderpaste 1616 may be disposed or deposited by any known method, such asprinting, for example. The contacts 1618 may be coupled to a groundlayer (not shown) in the substrate 1606 and further coupled to verticalconductors 1620 in sidewall structures 1622 on the top surface 1614.

The cross-sectional side view of fabrication stage 1600C in FIG. 16Cshows a substrate 1624 coupled to the bottom side 1604 of the substrate1606. The substrate 1624 may be formed by any of the processes disclosedherein, such as those illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5C or 10A-10F, forexample. The substrate 1624 includes vertical conductors 1626 extendingthrough a thickness of the substrate 1624 (e.g., in the Z-axisdirection) orthogonal to the bottom surface 1604. The substrate 1624 isattached to the bottom side 1604 such that the vertical conductors 1626are electrically coupled to the substrate 1606 by the solder paste 1616.The vertical conductors 1626 extend through the thickness of thesubstrate 1624 to provide contacts 1628 that may be used forinterconnecting the MCM 1600 in a package or device.

The cross-sectional side view of fabrication stage 1600D in FIG. 16Dshows the substrate 1624 shaped to form the wall structures 1602. Thesubstrate 1624 may be shaped by, for example, laser cutting to removeunwanted portions (e.g., in the X-axis direction and Y-axis direction)of the substrate 1624. The remaining wall structures 1630 form the LGApad extenders 1608 extending from the contacts (LGA pads) 1618 on thesubstrate 1606. The wall structures 1630 may be located such that aperimeter is formed around a pocket or cavity 1631 on the bottom surface1604 of the substrate 1606 surrounded by the wall structures 1602. Insome examples, the wall structures 1630 may be located at or near edges1632 of the substrate 1606 such that the bottom surface 1604 issurrounded by the wall structures 1602.

The cross-sectional side view of fabrication stage 1600E in FIG. 16Eshows the electrical device or SMD 1610 electrically coupled to thebottom surface 1604 of the substrate 1606. The SMD 1610 may beelectrically connected to any of the SMDs 1612. The SMD 1610 may bemounted on the bottom side 1604 to avoid a need for the substrate 1606to have a larger surface area, sacrificing some additional verticalpackage height to minimize package area.

The cross-sectional side view of fabrication stage 1600F in FIG. 16Fshows a molding compound 1634 disposed on the bottom surface 1604 of thesubstrate 1606. The molding compound 1634 may initially extend farther(e.g., in the Z-axis direction) from the bottom surface than the SMD1610 and the contacts 1628 on the wall structures 1602. In other words,the molding compound 1634 may be disposed to a thickness that covers orencapsulates the SMD 1610 and the wall structures 1602. A tape-assistedmold process may allow for the SMD 1610 to be encapsulated withoutcovering the LGA pad extenders 1608.

The cross-sectional side view of fabrication stage 1600G in FIG. 16Gshows the molding compound 1634 thinned to expose the contacts 1628 ofthe LGA pad extenders 1608. The molding compound 1634 may be thinned byknown methods such at least one of a mechanical or chemical polishing orgrinding. Thinning the molding compound 1634 is an optional step thatmay only be necessary if the molding compound disposed on the bottomsurface 1604 has a thickness that covers or fully encapsulates the wallstructures 1602. If the tape assisted mold process is used to disposethe molding compound 1634, the thinning shown as a change from FIG. 16Fto FIG. 16G is not needed. The molding compound 1634 continues toencapsulate the SMD 1610 even if the contacts 1628 are exposed. In thisregard, the MCM 1600 may be coupled to an external circuit, but the SMD1610 remains protected by the molding compound 1634.

The cross-sectional side view of fabrication stage 1600H in FIG. 16Hshows the MCM 1600 including a conductive (e.g., metal) layer 1636coating top and side surfaces to provide an EMI shield. The conductivelayer 1636 may correspond to the conductive layer 1524 in FIG. 15B. Thevertical conductors 1626 in the wall structures 1602 around the SMD 1610may provide additional lateral (e.g., in the X-axis direction and Y-axisdirection) EMI shielding of the SMD 1610. Thus, LGA pad extenders 1608of the MCM 1600 provide additional EMI shielded area on the substrate1606 that may be used for SMDs 1610, reducing the surface area neededfor an EMI shielded MCM or IC package in a device.

An exemplary MCM including an EMI shield with configurable sidewallstructures in which vertical conductors are disposed on or inside a wallmedium that is mounted on a substrate surface to electrically couple anEMI shield lid to a ground layer as shown in FIGS. 8A-8E, 11A-11F,12A-12D, 13, 14A-14G, 15A-15B, and 16A-16H, and according to any aspectsdisclosed herein, may be provided in or integrated into anyprocessor-based device. Examples, without limitation, include a set-topbox, an entertainment unit, a navigation device, a communicationsdevice, a fixed location data unit, a mobile location data unit, aglobal positioning system (GPS) device, a mobile phone, a cellularphone, a smart phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, atablet, a phablet, a server, a computer, a portable computer, a mobilecomputing device, a wearable computing device (e.g., a smart watch, ahealth or fitness tracker, eyewear, etc.), a desktop computer, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a monitor, a computer monitor, atelevision, a tuner, a radio, a satellite radio, a music player, adigital music player, a portable music player, a digital video player, avideo player, a digital video disc (DVD) player, a portable digitalvideo player, an automobile, a vehicle component, avionics systems, adrone, and a multicopter.

In this regard, FIG. 17 illustrates an example of a processor-basedsystem 1700 including an MCM including an EMI shield with configurablesidewall structures in which vertical conductors are disposed on orinside a wall medium that is mounted on a substrate surface toelectrically couple an EMI shield lid to a ground layer as shown inFIGS. 8A-8E, 11A-11F, 12A-12D, 13, 14A-14G, 15A-15B, and 16A-16H, andaccording to any aspects disclosed herein. In this example, theprocessor-based system 1700 includes one or more central processor units(CPUs) 1702, which may also be referred to as CPU or processor cores,each including one or more processors 1704. The CPU(s) 1702 may havecache memory 1706 coupled to the processor(s) 1704 for rapid access totemporarily stored data. As an example, the processor(s) 1704 couldinclude an MCM including an EMI shield with configurable sidewallstructures in which vertical conductors are disposed on or inside a wallmedium that is mounted on a substrate surface to electrically couple anEMI shield lid to a ground layer as shown in FIGS. 8A-8E, 11A-11F,12A-12D, 13, 14A-14G, 15A-15B, and 16A-16H, and according to any aspectsdisclosed herein. The CPU(s) 1702 is coupled to a system bus 1708 andcan intercouple master and slave devices included in the processor-basedsystem 1700. As is well known, the CPU(s) 1702 communicates with theseother devices by exchanging address, control, and data information overthe system bus 1708. For example, the CPU(s) 1702 can communicate bustransaction requests to a memory controller 1710 as an example of aslave device. Although not illustrated in FIG. 17 , multiple systembuses 1708 could be provided, wherein each system bus 1708 constitutes adifferent fabric.

Other master and slave devices can be connected to the system bus 1708.As illustrated in FIG. 17 , these devices can include a memory system1712 that includes the memory controller 1710 and one or more memoryarrays 1714, one or more input devices 1716, one or more output devices1718, one or more network interface devices 1720, and one or moredisplay controllers 1722, as examples. Each of the memory system 1712,the input device(s) 1716, the output device(s) 1718, the networkinterface device(s) 1720, and the display controller(s) 1722 can includean MCM including an EMI shield with configurable sidewall structures inwhich vertical conductors are disposed on or inside a wall medium thatis mounted on a substrate surface to electrically couple an EMI shieldlid to a ground layer as shown in FIGS. 8A-8E, 11A-11F, 12A-12D, 13,14A-14G, 15A-15B, and 16A-16H, and according to any aspects disclosedherein. The input device(s) 1716 can include any type of input device,including, but not limited to, input keys, switches, voice processors,etc. The output device(s) 1718 can include any type of output device,including, but not limited to, audio, video, other visual indicators,etc. The network interface device(s) 1720 can be any device configuredto allow exchange of data to and from a network 1724. The network 1724can be any type of network, including, but not limited to, a wired orwireless network, a private or public network, a local area network(LAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN),a BLUETOOTH™ network, and the Internet. The network interface device(s)1720 can be configured to support any type of communications protocoldesired.

The CPU(s) 1702 may also be configured to access the displaycontroller(s) 1722 over the system bus 1708 to control information sentto one or more displays 1726. The display controller(s) 1722 sendsinformation to the display(s) 1726 to be displayed via one or more videoprocessors 1728, which process the information to be displayed into aformat suitable for the display(s) 1726. The display(s) 1726 can includeany type of display, including, but not limited to, a cathode ray tube(CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, a lightemitting diode (LED) display, etc. The display controller(s) 1722,display(s) 1726, and/or the video processor(s) 1728 can include an MCMincluding an EMI shield with configurable sidewall structures in whichvertical conductors are disposed on or inside a wall medium that ismounted on a substrate surface to electrically couple an EMI shield lidto a ground layer as shown in FIGS. 8A-8E, 11A-11F, 12A-12D, 13,14A-14G, 15A-15B, and 16A-16H, and according to any aspects disclosedherein.

FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary wireless communications device 1800that includes radio frequency (RF) components formed from an IC 1802,wherein any of the components therein can include an MCM including anEMI shield with configurable sidewall structures in which verticalconductors are disposed on or inside a wall medium that is mounted on asubstrate surface to electrically couple an EMI shield lid to a groundlayer as shown in FIGS. 8A-8E, 11A-11F, 12A-12D, 13, 14A-14G, 15A-15B,and 16A-16H, and according to any aspects disclosed herein. The wirelesscommunications device 1800 may include or be provided in any of theabove-referenced devices, as examples. As shown in FIG. 18 , thewireless communications device 1800 includes a transceiver 1804 and adata processor 1806. The data processor 1806 may include a memory tostore data and program codes. The transceiver 1804 includes atransmitter 1808 and a receiver 1810 that support bi-directionalcommunications. In general, the wireless communications device 1800 mayinclude any number of transmitters 1808 and/or receivers 1810 for anynumber of communication systems and frequency bands. All or a portion ofthe transceiver 1804 may be implemented on one or more analog ICs, RFICs (RFICs), mixed-signal ICs, etc.

The transmitter 1808 or the receiver 1810 may be implemented with asuper-heterodyne architecture or a direct-conversion architecture. Inthe super-heterodyne architecture, a signal is frequency-convertedbetween RF and baseband in multiple stages, e.g., from RF to anintermediate frequency (IF) in one stage, and then from IF to basebandin another stage for the receiver 1810. In the direct-conversionarchitecture, a signal is frequency-converted between RF and baseband inone stage. The super-heterodyne and direct-conversion architectures mayuse different circuit blocks and/or have different requirements. In thewireless communications device 1800 in FIG. 18 , the transmitter 1808and the receiver 1810 are implemented with the direct-conversionarchitecture.

In the transmit path, the data processor 1806 processes data to betransmitted and provides I and Q analog output signals to thetransmitter 1808. In the exemplary wireless communications device 1800,the data processor 1806 includes digital-to-analog converters (DAC s)1812(1), 1812(2) for converting digital signals generated by the dataprocessor 1806 into the I and Q analog output signals, e.g., I and Qoutput currents, for further processing.

Within the transmitter 1808, lowpass filters 1814(1), 1814(2) filter theI and Q analog output signals, respectively, to remove undesired signalscaused by the prior digital-to-analog conversion. Amplifiers (AMPs)1816(1), 1816(2) amplify the signals from the lowpass filters 1814(1),1814(2), respectively, and provide I and Q baseband signals. Anupconverter 1818 upconverts the I and Q baseband signals with I and Qtransmit (TX) local oscillator (LO) signals through mixers 1820(1),1820(2) from a TX LO signal generator 1822 to provide an upconvertedsignal 1824. A filter 1826 filters the upconverted signal 1824 to removeundesired signals caused by the frequency upconversion as well as noisein a receive frequency band. A power amplifier (PA) 1828 amplifies theupconverted signal 1824 from the filter 1826 to obtain the desiredoutput power level and provides a transmitted RF signal. The transmittedRF signal is routed through a duplexer or switch 1830 and transmittedvia an antenna 1832.

In the receive path, the antenna 1832 receives signals transmitted bybase stations and provides a received RF signal, which is routed throughthe duplexer or switch 1830 and provided to a low noise amplifier (LNA)1834. The duplexer or switch 1830 is designed to operate with a specificreceive (RX)-to-TX duplexer frequency separation, such that RX signalsare isolated from TX signals. The received RF signal is amplified by theLNA 1834 and filtered by a filter 1836 to obtain a desired RF inputsignal. Downconversion mixers 1838(1), 1838(2) mix the output of thefilter 1836 with I and Q RX LO signals (i.e., LO_I and LO_Q) from an RXLO signal generator 1840 to generate I and Q baseband signals. The I andQ baseband signals are amplified by AMPs 1842(1), 1842(2) and furtherfiltered by lowpass filters 1844(1), 1844(2) to obtain I and Q analoginput signals, which are provided to the data processor 1806. In thisexample, the data processor 1806 includes analog-to-digital converters(ADCs) 1846(1), 1846(2) for converting the analog input signals intodigital signals to be further processed by the data processor 1806.

In the wireless communications device 1800 of FIG. 18 , the TX LO signalgenerator 1822 generates the I and Q TX LO signals used for frequencyupconversion, while the RX LO signal generator 1840 generates the I andQ RX LO signals used for frequency downconversion. Each LO signal is aperiodic signal with a particular fundamental frequency. A TXphase-locked loop (PLL) circuit 1848 receives timing information fromthe data processor 1806 and generates a control signal used to adjustthe frequency and/or phase of the TX LO signals from the TX LO signalgenerator 1822. Similarly, an RX PLL circuit 1850 receives timinginformation from the data processor 1806 and generates a control signalused to adjust the frequency and/or phase of the RX LO signals from theRX LO signal generator 1840.

Those of skill in the art will further appreciate that the variousillustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithms describedin connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented aselectronic hardware, instructions stored in memory or in anothercomputer readable medium and executed by a processor or other processingdevice, or combinations of both. The master and slave devices describedherein may be employed in any circuit, hardware component, IC, or ICchip, as examples. Memory disclosed herein may be any type and size ofmemory and may be configured to store any type of information desired.To clearly illustrate this interchangeability, various illustrativecomponents, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been describedabove generally in terms of their functionality. How such functionalityis implemented depends upon the particular application, design choices,and/or design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilledartisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways foreach particular application, but such implementation decisions shouldnot be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented orperformed with a processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), anApplication Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field ProgrammableGate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A processormay be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may beany conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or statemachine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination ofcomputing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, aplurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunctionwith a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

The aspects disclosed herein may be embodied in hardware and ininstructions that are stored in hardware and may reside, for example, inRandom Access Memory (RAM), flash memory, Read Only Memory (ROM),Electrically Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically ErasableProgrammable ROM (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of computer readable medium known in the art.An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that theprocessor can read information from, and write information to, thestorage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integralto the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in anASIC. The ASIC may reside in a remote station. In the alternative, theprocessor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in aremote station, base station, or server.

It is also noted that the operational steps described in any of theexemplary aspects herein are described to provide examples anddiscussion. The operations described may be performed in numerousdifferent sequences other than the illustrated sequences. Furthermore,operations described in a single operational step may actually beperformed in a number of different steps. Additionally, one or moreoperational steps discussed in the exemplary aspects may be combined. Itis to be understood that the operational steps illustrated in theflowchart diagrams may be subject to numerous different modifications aswill be readily apparent to one of skill in the art. Those of skill inthe art will also understand that information and signals may berepresented using any of a variety of different technologies andtechniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information,signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout theabove description may be represented by voltages, currents,electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields orparticles, or any combination thereof.

The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable anyperson skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Variousmodifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may beapplied to other variations. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to belimited to the examples and designs described herein but, is to beaccorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novelfeatures disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A multi-component module (MCM), comprising: anelectrical device mounted on a first surface of a substrate comprising afirst conductive layer; and an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielddisposed adjacent to the first surface of the substrate, the EMI shieldcomprising: a lid adjacent to a first side of the electrical device; anda wall structure disposed adjacent to a second side of the electricaldevice and extending around the electrical device to form an enclosurecomprising an air space between the first surface of the substrate andthe lid, the wall structure comprising: a wall medium; and a verticalconductor disposed at least one of on and inside the wall medium andconfigured to electrically couple the lid to the first conductive layer.2. The MCM of claim 1, wherein: the lid comprises a second conductivelayer extending parallel to the first surface of the substrate, adjacentto the electrical device and the wall structure; and the wall structureextends in a direction orthogonal to the first surface of the substratebetween the first surface of the substrate and the lid.
 3. The MCM ofclaim 1, wherein: a first end portion of the vertical conductor iselectrically coupled to the lid; and a second end portion of thevertical conductor is electrically coupled to the first conductive layerof the substrate.
 4. The MCM of claim 1, wherein the vertical conductordisposed at least one of on and inside the wall medium further comprisesa conductive material disposed on a surface of the wall medium.
 5. TheMCM of claim 4, wherein the surface of the wall medium on which theconductive material is disposed comprises at least a portion of a wallof a hole through the wall medium, the hole having a longitudinal axisextending through a thickness of the wall medium.
 6. The MCM of claim 1,wherein the wall structure extends continuously in a first direction onthe second side of the electrical device and in a second directionorthogonal to the first direction on a third side of the electricaldevice.
 7. The MCM of claim 1, wherein the first conductive layer of thesubstrate comprises a ground layer.
 8. The MCM of claim 2, wherein thesecond conductive layer of the lid is a metal passivation layer disposedon a top surface of the MCM.
 9. The MCM of claim 2, wherein the lidcomprises a third conductive layer between the second conductive layerand the electrical device, the third conductive layer having a higherconductivity than the second conductive layer.
 10. The MCM of claim 1,wherein: the lid further comprises a heat sink layer over the electricaldevice; and the MCM further comprises a substance other than air and amolding compound to thermally couple the electrical device to the heatsink layer.
 11. The MCM of claim 1, wherein: the lid further comprises asecond substrate comprising at least a third conductive layer and aninsulating material; and the vertical conductor is electrically coupledto the third conductive layer.
 12. The MCM of claim 1, furthercomprising a second electrical device disposed on a surface of the lidin the enclosure formed by the EMI shield.
 13. The MCM of claim 1,wherein: the wall medium of the wall structure further comprises aninsulating material; and the wall structure further comprises one of aninductor and a conductive trace enclosed within the insulating materialand configured to be electrically coupled to an electrical component inthe MCM.
 14. The MCM of claim 1, further comprising a second electricaldevice and a second wall structure disposed adjacent to the secondelectrical device.
 15. The MCM of claim 1, wherein: the substratefurther comprises: a second surface opposite to the first surface; andbottom contacts on the second surface configured to couple the MCM to anexternal circuit; and the MCM further comprises a second wall structuredisposed on the second surface of the substrate, the wall structurecomprising: a second wall medium; and a second vertical conductordisposed at least one of on and inside the second wall medium, thesecond vertical conductor electrically coupled to the bottom contacts.16. The MCM of claim 15, further comprising a second electrical devicemounted on the second surface of the substrate.
 17. The MCM of claim 1,integrated into a device selected from the group consisting of: a settop box; an entertainment unit; a navigation device; a communicationsdevice; a fixed location data unit; a mobile location data unit; aglobal positioning system (GPS) device; a mobile phone; a cellularphone; a smart phone; a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone; atablet; a phablet; a server; a computer; a portable computer; a mobilecomputing device; a wearable computing device; a desktop computer; apersonal digital assistant (PDA); a monitor; a computer monitor; atelevision; a tuner; a radio; a satellite radio; a music player; adigital music player; a portable music player; a digital video player; avideo player; a digital video disc (DVD) player; a portable digitalvideo player; an automobile; a vehicle component; avionics systems; adrone; and a multicopter.
 18. A multi-component module (MCM),comprising: an electrical device mounted on a first surface of asubstrate, the substrate comprising a first conductive layer; and anelectromagnetic interference (EMI) shield disposed adjacent to the firstsurface of the substrate, the EMI shield comprising: a lid comprising asecond conductive layer adjacent to a first side of the electricaldevice; and a wall structure disposed adjacent to a second side of theelectrical device, the wall structure comprising: a wall mediumcomprising a semi-cylindrical surface extending between the firstsurface and the lid; and a vertical conductor disposed on thesemi-cylindrical surface between the semi-cylindrical surface and theelectrical device and configured to electrically couple the firstconductive layer to the second conductive layer.
 19. The MCM of claim18, wherein: the lid extends parallel to the first surface; and the wallstructure extends orthogonal to the first surface.
 20. The MCM of claim18, wherein: a first end portion of the vertical conductor iselectrically coupled to the shield lid; and a second end portion of thevertical conductor is electrically coupled to the ground layer of thesubstrate.
 21. The MCM of claim 18, wherein the vertical conductorcomprises a layer of conductive material disposed on thesemi-cylindrical surface.
 22. The MCM of any of claim 18, wherein thesemi-cylindrical surface comprises at least a portion of a wall of ahole through the wall medium, the hole having a longitudinal axisextending through a thickness of the wall medium.
 23. The MCM of claim18, wherein the wall structure extends continuously in a first directionon the second side of the electrical device and in a second directionorthogonal to the first direction on a third side of the electricaldevice.
 24. The MCM of claim 18, wherein: the wall structure extendsaround the electrical device to form an enclosure between the firstsurface of the substrate and the lid; and the lid further comprisesopenings through which a molding compound may be disposed in theenclosure.
 25. The MCM of claim 18, wherein: the wall structure extendsaround the electrical device to form an enclosure between the firstsurface of the substrate and the lid; and the enclosure forms an airspace around the electrical device.
 26. The MCM of claim 18, wherein thesecond conductive layer comprises a metal passivation layer disposed ona top surface of the MCM.
 27. The MCM of claim 18, wherein the lidfurther comprises a third conductive layer between the second conductivelayer and the electrical device, the third conductive layer having ahigher conductivity than the second conductive layer.
 28. The MCM ofclaim 18, wherein: the lid further comprises a heat sink layer over theelectrical device; and the MCM further comprises a substance other thanair and a molding compound to thermally couple the electrical device tothe heat sink layer.
 29. The MCM of claim 18, wherein: the lid furthercomprises a substrate comprising at least a third conductive layer andan insulating material; and the vertical conductor is electricallycoupled to the third conductive layer.
 30. The MCM of claim 18, furthercomprising a second electrical device disposed on a surface of the lidin an enclosure formed by the EMI shield.
 31. The MCM of claim 18,wherein: the wall medium of the sidewall structure further comprises aninsulating material; and the vertical conductor comprises one of aninductor and a conductive trace enclosed within the insulating materialand configured to couple to an electrical component in the MCM.
 32. TheMCM of claim 18, further comprising: a second electrical device; and asecond wall structure disposed adjacent to the second electrical device.33. The MCM of claim 18, the substrate further comprising: a secondsurface opposite to the first surface; and bottom contacts on the secondsurface configured to couple the MCM to an external circuit; and the MCMfurther comprises a second wall structure disposed on the second surfaceof the substrate, the second wall structure comprising: a second wallmedium; and a second vertical conductor disposed at least one of on andinside the second wall medium, the second vertical conductorelectrically coupled to the bottom contacts.
 34. The MCM of claim 33,further comprising a second electrical device mounted on the secondsurface of the substrate.
 35. The MCM of claim 18, integrated into adevice selected from the group consisting of: a set-top box; anentertainment unit; a navigation device; a communications device; afixed location data unit; a mobile location data unit; a globalpositioning system (GPS) device; a mobile phone; a cellular phone; asmartphone; a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone; a tablet; aphablet; a server; a computer; a portable computer; a mobile computingdevice; a wearable computing device; a desktop computer; a personaldigital assistant (PDA); a monitor; a computer monitor; a television; atuner; a radio; a satellite radio; a music player; a digital musicplayer; a portable music player; a digital video player; a video player;a digital video disc (DVD) player; a portable digital video player; anautomobile; a vehicle component; avionics systems; a drone; and amulticopter.